Posts by: Jennifer Kaye

Cosmetic giant MAC put their in-store makeup artists to the test this Halloween to create the most compelling looks. Artists from stores in Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York will be judged by MAC’s facebook followers for their annual “Halloween Face-Off.” The portraits, which range from glamorous to macabre, were shot by photographer John Midgley. “The passion of each of the artists was a lot of fun, and it was infectious,” says John. They lived for it—they lived for the look. They lived to have their picture taken. It took it back to the simplest form of photography, which is flattery and escapism.”

There once was a time, before camera phones and Instagram, where photography was considered novel. At least legendary street artist Ron English thought so, which is why in the early 1980’s he took up the craft. “At the time I perceived it to be a younger art form, so I thought my odds of creating something original were greater,” said English.

Hey, Hot Shot! contender Kristoffer Tripplaar is Washington, D.C.-based photojournalist by trade, but when he is not covering the lives of politicians in the White House, he is exploring the excess of American culture, the U.S. Postal Service and more recently, America’s forgotten Cold War relics. “I started this project as a means to explore the once lethal debris,” said Tripplaar. “The idea that so much time, effort and money could be spent on military build-up, only to be left to rot within a few decades, left me intrigued.”

Described as “hopperistic” by the New York Times and New Yorker, Gail Albert Halaban’s large-scale color photos provide a look into the private worlds of ordinary people. “I’m a photographer and therefore I’m a voyeur, and I’m a New Yorker and therefore I’m a voyeur,” said Halaban. Although staged, these photographs capture the realistic experience all New Yorkers can relate to. “I think every city has its own way that people connect to their neighbors. In LA it’s through the car window. In New York, I think it’s through the apartment window.” Halaban’s photographs range from a man playing with his dog to a couple playing with their baby, all with the backdrop of large architecture emphasizing the real New York experience, being one of eight million. Halaban’s book of peeping shots will be released this September by powerHouse books.

Burcu Avsar’sColor Studies explores the relationship between humans and color and the meanings given to each hue. With the aid of stylist Helen Quinn, Avsar experimented with three different natural dyes. They began with the ancient indigo blue, applying it to used books and wood, which were then coupled with Japanese textiles and figurines. Moving on to cochineal (the Mexican bug-turned-vibrant pink when crushed up) the duo told the story of its transition with different shaded yarns.

“The photograph reflects, every streetlight a reminder. Nightswimming deserves a quiet night.” These lyrics, from R.E.M.’s “Nightswimming” played a major part in Jeremy and Claire Weiss’ spread for Monster Children magazine. The husband and wife power duo who make up the photography team Day 19, borrowed a friend’s pool off the grid, in the hills of Malibu to really capture what it’s like to swim at night. “I just thought it would be rad to shoot a story based around the feeling of swimming at night but to try and capture what the light actually feels like when you are doing it,” said Jeremy Weiss. The team only used ambient light from the pool and a string of lights on the deck, no flash or strobes to mimic the water reflections. This series was recently chosen to be part of Photo District News’ 2012 Photo Annual.

Robin Moore is no stranger to wildlife. The Scottish-born photographer’s work has graced the pages of National Geographic Traveler and TIME and he is an associate fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers.